Stumbling Towards Destiny
by Merore
Summary: Destiny and Fate don't always play fair. That's what Usagi Tsukino learns when she meets up with a strange talking cat and a mysterious comatose boy. What secrets do the two hold? That's what she intends to find out? But...is it worth the consequences? (C
1. Prolouge

Stumbling Towards Destiny- Prolouge This story is my baby. This is the work that I want to put all my effort into, instead of just writing for fun. There's a very good reason for that too. The plot for this story came to me in a dream. And I love my dreams, especially the ones I can remember. But, that's a warning okay? My dreams are fundamentally messed up, and if this idea came to me in one…well, this story is going to be totally messed up. The Sailormoon Universe is now officially on crack. Oh, the rating. The rating is for language (coming up in about three…two…) and totally fucked up (and there it is) dreams. Not in THIS chapter…but pretty soon. So, here we go!   
  
  


_"Can't stop what's coming, can't stop what is on its way…"_   
_-Tori Amos, Bells for Her_

  


Listen. I have something important to tell you. The world, despite what you may have been told, or may have been led to believe is not all that large. And anything can happen here, even things one would perceive to be a miracle. I know, because I have watched them all. When two people find each other on this one Earth, when they connect, it is not the wondrous exercise of serendipity that some make it out to be. There is the exception of course. When Fate decided to try her hand at matchmaking, something quite miraculous happened. Two people twined together by a red string. Of course, Fate wields a double-edged sword. Those kissed by her blessing are also bitten by her curse. To prove, through great trail, what that red string truly means. I know, because I have seen it time and again. Listen. I want to tell you the story of two bound by a red string. 

Kyoto. Our story shall begin here. Because of its size (though small compared to Tokyo) Kyoto is divided into numerous districts and sections, sometimes seemingly at random as the city grows. We will focus on a smaller district, the location of an otherwise non-descript office building. Such details are of no consequence to us now. Attention should instead be place on the meeting occurring inside the building. Just like the district, and the building, this meeting is small. Two men, average businessmen from their suits and appearance, stand before a large oak desk. 

Their 'interviewer' is sitting behind that desk, feature marred by the shadows playing across the room. He has been cast into complete darkness, and the men in front of him do not question their odd situations. They've been working on this 'project' for so long, they've learned not to question such situations. 

Sitting on the edge of the desk, also shrouded by the darkness, is a third party, whom is ignored by the other in the room. The lack of attention doesn't bother the person at all. They have simply come to watch, after all. To watch is their job, as it is my own.

"What is the status of our project?" the interviewer asks of the two businessmen standing before him.

"The subjects are responding superbly." The first man started, placing a manilla envelope on the desk.

"Our scans have shown that they're retaining the information learned within the simulation. However, because they are still 'training' we have no way of knowing how well they will, or if they even can, apply that knowledge. We will only be able to test this once we 'wake them up'."

The interviewer took the envelope and began to sort through the contents. He read through the reports and information gathered on their current project, and glanced quickly at the status graphs of the subjects before returning to his guests.

"Excellent. How soon can we bring them in for testing?"

For an awkward moment none in the room spoke. Hesitantly, with the distinct feel in the back of his minds that what he was about to say would bring the fury of hell on him, the second man stuttered,

"Well...i-it's a…delicate pro-process, you see. We can't- We can't simply pull them out. It would… cause a huge shock to the nervous system and they would go into a coma, or possibly die instantly. Either way, they'd be useless to us after all the work we put into them."

The man in charge paused to consider this information, and the two in front of him waited, holding their breath, to learn what ill fortune was in store. Finally, the man spoke:

"What is the estimated time to their awakening?"

"We'd like to have actual targets situated and ready for a trail run of their abilities, and our physicians say that they'll have to take a few days getting ready. After 'sleeping' for so long their bodies may not be as strong as their minds. We've run through several scenarios, and we've decided that the least traumatic way to end the simulation would be a natural death within it. This could take, at minimum, three months if we sped the main system up." The second man managed to keep his calm well, considering he had almost needed to let out several shaky breaths in thanks. Thanks that he would not be punished.

"I see," the man in charge nodded, a gesture almost lost in the shadows around him. "Very well. Make the necessary preparations. I want them awake as soon as possible. And go over the mental stability charts again. We don't want this little project getting out of control. That's all for now. Leave."

The two men bowed, and hurried out of the office, and out of the building. The constant fear hung too close to that office. They didn't want to spend another minute there if at all possible.

"Well, love. My pawns are moving into place. It's your move." The man in charge turned to the figure…the woman…sitting at the edge of his desk. She sighed, and stretched her arms above her head. Another yawn, and she languorously slid down over the desk, until she was face to face with her lover. Deep violet eyes held a touch of chaos and she smiled in true predator fashion.

"Yes…don't worry. I believe my little dolls will be marching right in…soon."

Although now you have seen that there are those in this world who choose to take Destiny by neck, to attempt to chain her to them, there are also those who are unaware of the game the higher powers play. Those who go about blithely; following the whimsy of the Fates. Yes there is one, in particular who has always allowed herself to be blown about, like a leaf in a hurricane, to wherever the winds of change may lead her. And soon, that may become her fatal flaw…

Further away from Kyoto, in fact we have now come to Tokyo: the Juuban District. This girl, who you would do well to take note of, is currently on her way home from work. Time has passed well for her. In her short life, peace has been a constant and at nineteen, she is at the zenith of her childhood fantasy. Her dreams of adventure and fairy tale romance have almost faded into the corners of her mind, the result of balancing college and work pushing away any time she might have had for such thoughts. 

'Though…she will always have that sparkle…'

But this is not the time for melodrama. Watch her walking. See how she concentrates? She has been practicing a speech, for her arrival home. She knows that she must plan what she will say to her parents carefully, have an answer for question, and every possible retort they can manage. She is concentrating so hard within herself that she doesn't even notice it when she trips over something in the sidewalk.

"Aiee! Itai…" the girl with the sun-blonde hair sat up on the sidewalk, face scrunched up in indignation. She rubbed her now scraped knee, and mentally berated her clumsiness.

'I thought I grew out of that.'

She turned around to find out just what the cause of her unexpected falling out with gravity had been. Rather than the customary rocks, twigs, or the occasional mailbox (don't ask) she was surprised to instead find a cute black kitten also curled up in the middle of the street. It was yowling now, also indignant about having been tripped over. The girl gasped and half crawled half ran to the bundle of black fur.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you kitty, really I didn't! Please forgive me!" she apologized profusely, not at all conscious to the fact that she was apologizing to cat.

And with that apology, the girl took the cat now calming down in her arms, and kissed it on its kitty mouth. The cat was less than thrilled with that particular form of apology, and then preceded to show the girl so by means of a plentiful helping of pawing and scratches to the face.

"Ow…OW! The girl cried in pain, and pulled the cat away from her face, holding it at arms length for a moment. She scowled at the black cat, "If you're going to be that way, maybe I'm not sorry at all!"

The cat looked up at her with questioning eyes, a bit put out at the sudden (and possibly unfair in it's own mind) rejection by the girl with the golden hair. The girl sighed when she looked at the cat.

"You're still a cutie though, and I hate to just turn away a poor little thing like you! And maybe you're just hungry, and that's why you're acting so prissy!"

The hugged the cat closer, and threw her fist into the air, renewed and alive with enthusiasm.

"That's it! I've decided! I, Tsukino Usagi, will adopt you as my new pet! Shingo will have a spaz…he can't stand cats…but it will give me another reason for my news." And with that declaration, the now revealed Tsukino Usagi continued to walk home, new house pet and all.

Now the two threads of fate shall begin to intertwine, and the red string of destiny shall bind two lovers together. The destiny of the boy and girl will change, twist and meet. And whatever the outcome (for higher powers only set things in motion, and are very picky about actually cleaning up their messes) I will be here to watch it all. As now you will too. Well, then with out players introduced, I bid you farewell. For good or ill, our story begins:

**_Stumbling Towards Destiny_**   
_(A Sailormoon/Gundam Wing Crossover)_

In mid movement, Tsukino Usagi turned to look back over her shoulder. No one was there. Well, no one she was looking for, anyway. 

'That's strange…I could've sworn…'

Usagi could have sworn that she had seen a woman with deep green hair out of the corner of her eye. Normally she wouldn't have thought twice about it; lots of women seemed to be dying their hair outlandish colors these days. (And some people even had the nerve to ask if she'd dyed hers!) But that woman's hair…it was done, sort-of kind-of, in the same fashion as her own. And besides…she looked…familiar…

"Mou, mou. Usagi-chan, you're hallucinating now. It was a hard day at work, and now it's time to go home and sleep."

And so the girl began a third time on her journey home, new pet in hand, and a funny nagging sense in the back of her mind.   
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Well, what do you think? I know it's a little short. Sorry about that. ^_^;; Oh, and don't worry, the other senshi are coming up (they'll play more major roles in this story than they have in my others) and so are the GW characters. I'm trying to extend this fic, play it out, and make it as long as I can. I want to make it really interesting, and I want to explore the character development. (You'll get to watch some people go insane! Won't that be fun?) But PLEASE, I'm begging you give me FEEDBACK. Like I said before, this fic is my baby and I want to know what you think. That's all I ask, and it's the only pay fanfic writers get.

Disclaimer: Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Nakayoshi, Kodansha, and Toei and all it's holdings. Gundam Wing belongs to Sohei Entertainment (I think…) and Sunrise. 'Bells for Her' belongs to Tori Amos. This story is written without intent of copyright infringement. If one of the aforementioned companies/individuals finds this, please don't sue. I will happily direct you to people who abuse you're materials much worse than me. Thank you.   


  



	2. Chapter One

stumble-1

Ohayo! ^_^ Wai! You guys reviewed!! *hugs everybody who reviewed* Arigatou!! Because people reviewed, I think I'll answer some of the questions they asked! (But if you get a strange answer, it's because I don't want to reveal the plot ^_~) 

**Mako-chan:** I want to know who the pair in Kyoto are too! *Polyhymnia, her muse, thwaps her* Itai! I mean...you'll find out. And I suppose it's not a TOTAL re-write, but these events were supposed to take place between R and Classic, but now that I think about it, it follows a re-write better. ^_^;; Next time, I have to plan that better... (Ah, and I'm really glad you like it! This was kind of written with you in mind...)   
**polgara:** Eheheh....well, it's kinda funny really...^_^;;...Well, he's not evil if that helps. I can't answer this question without totally spoiling everything, so...next, please?   
**Siren: **the green haired gal was Pluto and, busy senshi that she is, she only stuck around for the prologue. (Hence the ultra formal tone) Precious time reading reviews?! *sticks out her tounge* They motivate me! Don't you feel better writing something when you know people enjoy it? 

All right, I think that's about it. Except, there's abuse of the Japanese language in this chapter. (That happens when I read manga, I abuse Japanese...) SO, here's a cute little chart to broaden you're vocabulary:   
Taidama-I've returned/come home   
Okaerinasai- Welcome home   
Hidoi- Mean/cruel   
sensee- teacher, or in this case, the title of 'doctor'. (My Japanese teacher taught me 'sensee', which is just a different romanization of 'sensei'. That's why I use this one.) Shiro-sensee means Dr. Shiro.   
Chigau- you're wrong   
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_"no pain, no gain, there's a million voices in my brain,_   
_it's like a game of hide and seek, and I play everyday._   
_I close my eyes and I count to ten, and_   
_1,2,3, everybody runs away"_   
_-Nina Gordon, Badway_

  
  


**Stumbling Towards Destiny**   
Chapter One   


Night. Darkness blanketed the city. For one little blonde girl, it was the perfect time to break into a highly-secretive-but-has-bad-security corporation. She paused mid-way in her crawl through the ventilation system. Okay, maybe they were using that dust build up as security. 

"Achoo!" 

The girl's hand immediately flew to her mouth. She silently sent up a prayer that the building's one security guard hadn't passed by to hear her. The small cat on her shoulder glared in disapproval. She glared right back, offended that a _cat_ would be disapproving her actions. Besides, she didn't see that cat trying to sneak into buildings unlawfully on a _school night_ for the good of humanity. All it did was sit on her shoulders and boss her around. Freeloader. 

She took a quick assessment of the vent, and decided that she wasn't where she was supposed to be. Which meant she'd have to keep going. She would've sighed, but that would probably cause more dust to make her sneeze again. Sometimes, she really hated her job. 

"Which way now?" she whispered to the cat. 

"To the left." it whispered back. 

Some people would be suprized, and maybe a little worried, if their cats began to talk back to them. Not her, though. She would have been a little worried, and overjoyed, if her cat would just _shut up_. But he usually gave good advice. ('Take the pen', he said. 'It's your destiny', he said.) So, as she always did, the young lady followed the cat's lead and took the left air duct. 

"If we run across some huge mutant spider, I'm using you as a decoy." she whispered. 

"Hidoi, Mina-chan!" the cat whined, though still keeping careful to use a low whisper. 

'Mina' smiled slightly, to show that she was only joking. Honestly, her little kitty could be way to serious sometimes. As if they would really run into a giant mutant spider. Those mutant rats had been much more common recently. And he hadn't really been complaining about _those_. But thankfully, the rest of her crawl through the vents was....well, uneventful...and she made it to the main office easily. But...that main office really had a high ceiling... 

"The chain, Mina-chan." 

Oh yeah. The chain. She carefully unfastened the special chain, which was proving to be _quite_ versatile if she did say so herself, from around her waist and dangled it to the ground. It stuck nicely, magically, to the inside of the vent so she had no problem wit it falling off unexpectedly. As she shimmied down the chain though, she realized that _she_ didn't have that luxury. With a little 'eep', the girls' hands slipped off the chain, and the ground made no-so-soft contact with her rear. Honestly, you'd think this office would have softer carpeting. 

"Minako-chan...you really must work on your stealth skills. It's quite noticeable when a young girl falls from a vent into a heap." the cat, her wonderful, always present, _always helpful_ cat leapt quietly to the ground next to her. 

"Artemis, I love you, but would you stop using my real name?! It's a breach in a security." Minako giggled, and flashed Artemis the 'V for Victory' symbol. "Code name wa: SailorV." 

"Hai, hai." Artemis rolled his eyes, and padded up to the desk in the center of the room. He perched himself in front of a computer. "Turn this thing on for me, will ya?" 

Minako pulled the chain down from the vent, and walked up next to Artemis at the desk. After switching the computer on, Artemis began to type rapidly, skimming through the information the screen presented, and passing through security protection as if it were nothing. SailorV looked on, a bit lost, and very irritated that her cat was better with computers than she. 

"What's it say?" she finally asked. 

"It's as I feared. The Dark Kingdom has somehow infiltrated this company. And now they're using human test subjects. If we don't stop this 'Project Alice' then the entire rules will be changed. We'll no longer have to fight monsters, we'll be fighting real people!" 

SailorV bit her lip. She'd become accustomed to fighting the youma the Dark Kingdom sent to gather energy. But how could she fight humans? She was supposed to protect people, wasn't she? It was a dirty trick, no matter how she looked at it. 

"How can we stop them?" 

"I'm going to install a virus into their main program. It's running 'Project Alice' right now. Hopefully, a setback so huge like this will stop their research in human development. And we should keep a close eye on this company too. The Dark Kingdom can reach a lot of people through Zodiac Designs Unlimited." with a final click of the keyboard, Artemis turned back to SailorV. 

"It's time we left." 

SailorV nodded, and picked Artemis up. She crept to the window, and left the office. The only trace of her entrance the computer, still running. And it would soon crash from the virus working within it.   
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Elsewhere.... 

"Okaa-san! Taidama!" Usagi called as she dropped her purse on the small table in the entryway, and kicked her shoes into the little stand they were kept in while she was in the house. 

"Okaerinasai, Usagi-chan! I'm in the kitchen!" her mother's voice called from down the hall. 

Usagi picked up her slippers from the stand, and made her way to the kitchen, hopping and trying to get down the hall without slipping on the hard wood floor. Bracing herself against the wall, she managed to get both slippers on without falling down, or dropping her new pet. She smiled as she came up behind her mother, who was currently making dinner. 

"Your father will be home late, and Shingo is staying over at a friend's tonight. So it's just us girls." Ikuko said, without turning around from the meal she was preparing. 

"That sounds nice." Usagi smiled and closed her eyes. 

She seated herself on the counter, legs dangling a bit, not touching the ground. The cat struggled in her arms, trying to be free to explore its new surroundings. Usagi glared down at the cat, but finally hopped back down off the counter to rummage about in the refrigerator for some type of fish. 

"How was work today?" Ikuko asked. 

"Pretty normal." Usagi answered, head halfway out of the refrigerator door. She went back to her task, picking up a half drunken glass of grape juice and polishing it off. 

"Don't ruing your appetite. I'm almost done." 

Usagi scowled, "I won't. I'm just looking." She dug deeper in, uncovering some food she really wished would have stayed hidden. 

"Shiro-sensee just had me reading charts and labeling blood samples. I think right now he's just trying to teach me how to do all that classifying that's involved with being a nurse. I think it's boring." Usagi finally uncovered some fish paste that didn't look like it would be hazardous to eat, and tore off some chunks to give to her cat. Ikuko caught the gesture out of the corner of her eye, and turned on her daughter. 

"Usagi! I told you not to eat...oh!" Her eyes fell to the little black cat munching away on the paste. "Where did you find that thing?" 

Usagi blushed and grinned sheepishly, embarrassed at being caught so soon. She'd wanted to bring up her new pet a little later. 

"Eheheh....well, she kinda followed me home." Usagi looked hopefully up at her mother. She wasn't buying it. "Okay, I tripped over her and thought maybe she could use a meal." 

"Usagi!" her mother glared at her fiercely. "You know that if you feed an animal, it will never leave you alone! You need to take it out now!" 

"No way!" Usagi protested, scooping the cat up into her arms. "I wanna keep her!" 

"But Shingo hates cats! He won't live in the same house as one!" 

"He won't have to!" 

For a moment, there was only silence. Usagi cursed herself for the big mouth she had and realized that there wasn't going to be an easy way to get around this. She sighed and wondered how one little cat could cause so much trouble. Ikuko looked questioningly at her daughter, and there was a hidden fury in her eyes. At nineteen, she couldn't have imagined her daughter would still be giving her the trouble that she did. Nevertheless, she was sure her daughter would explain her rash outburst as soon as she was ready. 

"I've been thinking...that lately...you know, because I have a job and all...and..." Usagi looked back down at the ground. It should have been easier, since it was just her and her mother, but still... she wanted to do this. Why was it so hard? 

"You see, I'm almost twenty now...in a few months, that is...and..." 

"For heaven's sake, spit it out, Usagi-chan!" 

"I want to move out." 

That silence hung in the air again. Ikuko just stood there for a few moments, simply looking at her daughter, eyes unreadable. Finally, she turned back to the food she had been preparing and continued as if the whole argument hadn't even happened. Usagi just stared at her mother's back, one hand reaching out, with eyes wide and pleading. 

"Kaa-san? Onegai-" 

"If that's what you want Usagi, you might as well do it. Far be it for your family to get in the way of your life. If we're not good enough for you-" 

"Iie! Iie, okaa-san! Chigau!! It's not that! It was never that!! I just...I just feel like I've been such a burden for all of you, and now that Shingo is getting into high school, it's going to be more to raise him too. I just don't want to be such a burden for you all." Usagi's eyes began to well up with tears. 'It's all turning out so wrong!' 

Ikuko turned back to her daughter, her eyes softening. Is that what she though? 

"Usagi." 

The younger woman looked up at her mother, carefully wiping away the tears that were threatening to spill over in her eyes. 

"Usagi, we love you. You're my _daughter_. How could we ever consider you a burden? Sure, you've given us a lot of trouble as you've grown up, but you're always smiling and always happy. You've turned out to be such a kind person, and now you've devoted you're life to helping other people. How could we _not_ love you, and who you've become. Usagi-chan, you're _always_ welcome with you're family." 

Listening to her mother's words, Usagi couldn't keep her tears from falling. With a strangled cry, she launched herself into Ikuko's arms, crying into the collar of her shirt. She hadn't realized at all...she knew her family loved her, but it always felt as if they were disappointed with her. It felt like something heavy had lifted off her... 

"Okaa-chan...I don't know what to do. I feel I have to leave and move on, but I love you all so much! I want to stay here! But, I know I also want to find my own place in live. It's...it's so confusing." she cried, and buried her face deeper in her mother's shirt. 

"Ssshh..." Ikuko soothed her daughter, rubbing her back softly. "It's all right. I understand. If you need to leave, Usagi, then you need to leave. Your father and I will always be willing to help you, and support you if you ever need it. You won't be alone. Musume-chan...my little bunny's all grown up.." Ikuko smiled sadly, feeling tears trickle down her face as well. Her daughter really was growing up, no matter how hard they'd tried to deny it. She wouldn't be their little bunny any more. But.... 

"I'll always be you're little girl." Usagi smiled up at her mother. "Arigatoo. I understand now. As long as I have you, and Tou-san, and eve Shingo-kun I'll never be alone. I do want to find my own place in life. Kaa-san...I'm glad." 

The two smiled at each other, and Usagi immediately hopped up, stretching from side to side. 

"But not tonight! Dinner's almost done, right? Please hurry up, kaa-san! I'm _starved_!" with that, Usagi went off in search for her new little kitty, whom had run off to explore the house during the touching mother daughter moment. 

Ikuko watched her daughter leave the kitchen, and smiled. Usagi would always be Usagi, no matter what happened to her. She just hoped that Usagi would be okay out on her own. She was so...innocent, and there was so much out there that could hurt her. 

"Kami-sama...please...take care of my little girl." 

Up in the night sky, the stars twinkled and sparkled prettily, and if you looked closely, the full moon almost seemed to smile.   
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*sighs* These still feel too darned short. Blegh. Anyway, please remember to review. It makes me get chapters out faster. ^_~

Anyway. Disclaimer: Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Nakayoshi, Kodansha, and Toei and all its holdings. Gundam Wing belongs to Sohei Entertainment (I think…) and Sunrise. 'Badway' is property of Nina Gordon.This story is written without intent of copyright infringement. If one of the aforementioned companies/individuals finds this, please don't sue. I will happily direct you to people who abuse you're materials much worse than me. Thank you.    
  



	3. Chapter Two-A

stumble-2

Lookie! New chapter!! *points downwards* See? See? Isn't special? (Why am I so hyper? This doesn't make sense! I should be in a bad mood, and stuff!!) Well, ANYWAY, I just wanted to warn you that this chapter is the one with the messed up dream. (Baaad Quatre. *tsk* Such a naughty boy. He tires to hide it, but I can tell. ^_~) Actually, because I was struggling with writing it up, this version is actually milder than the original...   
Also, I thought I should clear up the Setsuna reference. See, Setsuna keeps the back of her hair in odango, and that's what Usagi saw...so Setsuna's hair would look kind of like Usagi's. See? Make more sense? Now, on to answering questions. (See? People should review more, because I answer when they do. *pokes her readers* Ne?)   
**Golden Goddess: **Well the pairings are.....WIERD! Sorry, but with the exception of one (well...two, kinda) the couples aren't really standard, and I'm trying to keep an element of surprise.   
**Samantha: **Right now! See? *points down to Quatre*   
**siren: **Minako-chan is fighting what she's always been fighting...the Dark Kingdom. Now, if for some reason OZ and the Dark Kingdom were working together, she'd be fighting them too... (huh, that's like the biggest hint I've given, isn't it?) And the senshi and test subjects? Hmm..well....*begins to giggle a little evilly* Sore wa himitsu desu!   
**Nanatsusaya: **Mou...Minako-chan was in the last chapter wasn't she? (And Ami-chan will be in 2b...) I'm working on pacing! But don't worry, they'll ALL show up eventually. As for the Sara Mclaughlan thing...*laughs* You're right! You get a gold star! *throws Yaten's transformation head set to Kei-chan*   
Yaten: HEY!!   
^_^; Anyway, I was originally going to title this 'Fumbling Towards Ecstasy' but then I thought..well, let's try not to blatantly plagiarize from too many people. And 'Stumbling' sounds better for all that will happen, and 'Destiny' fit just as well. Soo...a title was born! (Good thing too, because I was having so much trouble titling this thing! >_) But 'Fumbling Towards Ecstasy' would be a good title for a lemon side story....But none of that yet! Story! Read now!!

(P.S. Dorothy kicks ass.) 

_"Intuition tells me how to live my day_   
_Intuition tells me when to walk away_   
_Could have turned left_   
_Could have turned right_   
_But I ended up here_   
_Bang in the middle of real life "_   
_-Natalie Imbruglia, Intuition_

**Stumbling Towards Destiny**   
Chapter Two-A   


As Quatre glanced about, he came to realize that there was something strange about his surroundings. It was all gray. Everything, like a thick, dense, fog that swallowed anything that walked into it. Maybe that was what it really was. But the absence of cold. The absence of moisture. It was like he was walking through nothing. A void. Maybe...he was alone...   
'But...I;m dreaming, aren't I?'   
And he was, for Quatre could feel himself moving throughout the gray, but without control of his actions of his destination. He found moving to be impossible, and even as the fog dissipated , and sunlight began to pierce through, Quatre could feel a haze surrounding his vision which made it hard to focus. And now, he was in a vast field, that seemed to stretch on forever. Green and blue met at the horizon, a cloudless sky blankented the fields below. It was simply perfect.   
Almost perfect.   
Even with the more pleasant surroundings, it was still exactly like the gray. There was...nothing. Now winds blew the tall grass out of place, not a blade moving or twisting a bit. No birds called to each other, and filled the air with their song. It was as if he was standing in a snapshot, a moment forever frozen in time. There was only a faint, steady rhythm continuing in the back of his mind. So unobtrusive was the sound, that he managed to push it away all together. Quatre could feel himself floating now, high above the field, the vast expanses of light green stretching out below him.   
And something moved.   
Curious, Quatre willed himself towards the movement. It happened without effort, and he wondered vaguely if it had not been the intention of the dream all along. He concluded that it had, but the sight of what he found shocked him so deeply, that he questioned if his conclusion was accurate.   
Lying in the field was Hiiro, and he was....with....a girl, no, a woman. Her eyes were closed, and he could not see their color, and she smiled as if she held a well kept secret. Her otherwise pale skin was colored with a rosy blush probably from her...activities...with Hiiro. Her long, silken gold hair was undone and fanned out below her in the grass. Her hands stroked over Hiiro's exposed flesh, ran through his hair, intertwined with his fingers...   
Hiiro, kissed the blonde gently and let his head fall into the crook of her shoulder. They simply stayed that way, as their breathing slowed. Quatre was almost trapped in a permanent blush, from spying on such a private moment. Frustrated, Quatre found he still couldn't turn away. But now...something odd was happening. The sky was darkening. Winds were beginning to chase through the field.   
Time jumped. Hiiro was gone.   
Now the woman was left in the felt alone, eyes gazing out at the sky but seeing nothing. The passage of time was tangible, and the the blonde's body grew, her stomach swelling with life. The rhythm in the back of his head grew louder, and Quatre had trouble ignoring it. It was speeding up as well, and the sound was so familiar that he had a hard time concentrating on all the events unfolding around him.   
Time jumped. The woman was giving birth. Faceless shadows swarmed around her, attending to her as she screamed without sound. For a moment, it seemed like the dream was simulating a broken record for a moment, as the scene skipped from moment to moment. Until everything melted away from the woman, and all was dark but her and the bundle she held in her arms.   
The world.   
'She is...the mother of Earth?'   
The rhythm in the back of his head grew louder, until he could no longer ignore it. The world the woman cradled in her arms pulsed along, until Quatre finally recognized the sound for what it was. The beating of his heart. The heartbeat of the world. It was everything. Slow and steady, growing louder in his ears. The woman smiled sadly, as the planet slipped from her grasp and suddenly everything changed.   
Caught by invisible string, the woman was lifted to her feet, into the air, struggling as the wire cut into her flesh. It pulled and tugged, as she was forced with her arms spread and her feet bound together. His heart beat faster, like an oncoming train, it was all consuming as he watched the scene unfold before him. Now bound crucified, the girl look at him with deep blue eyes.   
'Find her.' the command echoed around him, deep into his soul.   
And she smiled.   
And the strings pulled tighter, ripping her body to pieces, falling in a rain of blood and limbs.   
And his heartbeat stopped.   


"Ah!" Quatre bolted upright in bed, breathing heavily. That dream had disturbed him greatly, and something told him it was more than just that. There was something important about it, like a premonition. 

"Maybe I should call Hiiro..." Hiiro had been the only person he recognized in the dream. Maybe he'd met that blonde girl somewhere, and they could go about finding her. And he was pretty sure that was what he should do. It was the only thing spoken in the entire episode, after all. But...it was one o'clock in the morning. Quatre couldn't quite figure out the time distance to Hiiro's location on Earth, but he was sure the stoic boy wouldn't appreciate it. And he had a conference tomorrow with some fellow executives about acquiring another company on L4. Tomorrow would be better. He'd just call Hiiro tomorrow... 

^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^> 

"...yes." Quatre was having trouble keeping his eyes open. Luckily, Dorothy had planned to do most of the talking during this merger. She was always good at getting what she wanted. But it was almost done with, and then he could go home, call Hiiro and take a nice long nap... 

"But now that the war is just ending, doesn't it seem that the sudden merging of Catalonia and Winner industries, followed by the number of corporate acquisitions would remind people too much of the tactics of the Romefeller Foundation?" one executive asked. 

"I assure you, we have no such intentions." Quatre replied, quick to defend the recent business decisions of he and his partner. "We only wish to assure the survival of you're company and other companies in the current universal market. Which is why we should..." 

Quatre paused. He frowned, and rubbed his arm. Trying to decrease the sudden tension that was building up there. Something was definitely wrong. 

"We should..." 

He couldn't concentrate. His head was spinning, and it felt like he was burning up. His skin was getting hot, and his vision blurred. All around him, concerned faces spun, and one of the executives closer to him got up quickly from his seat. Quatre silently cursed himself for getting sick now, of all times. This conference was important. Not just to his company, but now more than ever they needed to calm the worries of the people and prove that the war truly was over.   
  
"Mr. Winner?" he heard Dorothy from the other side of the table. She sounded so far away, though. Like she was talking from the other side of a tunnel. Everything felt thick, like treading through water. Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in his head, and another stabbing at his chest. The pain was almost unbearable and he stumbled to the floor. Vaguely, he was aware that people were crowding around him, that Dorothy had moved close to his side, cradling his head in her lap. Again, from somewhere far away he heard a voice he didn't recognize shouting.

"Oh, god. Somebody call an ambulance dammit! Hurry!"

He could still hear them. But he didn't care. He couldn't understand why they needed to shout, why they needed to be so loud. The pain had stopped now, and his mind wandered. Dorothy was warm...it was funny to think of, but she was. Warm and soft, and her hair felt silky as it brushed against his skin. Quatre couldn't understand why he had never noticed it before. Everything was getting farther and farther away, and suddenly it all made sense. He finally felt free. As a sweet sense of darkness covered him, the last words he would ever hear pierced into the remains of his consciousness.

"Find Her."

And then it was perfect.

^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>

"In other news, the five young men recently credited to putting an end to the Eve Wars died today. Reports say they simultaneously suffered from massive heart failure. It has been assumed they have been assassinated, from someone with a vendetta from the war, and experts are currently looking for clues regarding the case. A memorial for the pilots will be held at-"

Dorothy Catalonia turned off the vidscreen and closed her eyes. She knew what had happened, and would bet her fortune that they'd never catch the man who'd done this to the pilots. Not the right one anyway. She sank back into the pillows of her bed, reflecting on the situation as it was now. Dorothy had shut herself into her bedroom the moment she'd come back from the hospital, and warned all around her that she not be disturbed. And of course, all around her knew that it was dangerous to disobey Dorothy Catalonia. She supposed though, that in part they thought she was mourning.

'But why cry for someone who isn't dead?'

Because she knew they weren't. They had been like her, trapped in this worthless game. And she had to admit, she'd enjoyed the company, and their willingness to participate in her little war. No, that wasn't quite true. It had been HIS little way. But still, she had gotten bored and he had provided her entertainment. And no one was really getting hurt anyway. She reached up to rub her eyes, but pulled her hand away quickly. Tears. She was...crying? But she hadn't cried since...she didn't want to remember the last time she cried.   
  
"Why?!" she demanded angrily.

Seething, she grabbed a pillow and hurled it across the room. It fell to the ground with an unsatisfying flop, and Dorothy reached for something more destructive. Her hand came across a silver picture frame, which she pitched with all her might into a dresser mirror on the other side of the room. A much more satisfying sound of shattering glass snapped her out of her momentary fury, breath still coming in gasps from anger.   
Shivering as the adrenaline high ebbed away, Dorothy slowly got out of bed, and stooped to pick up the picture frame. She ignored the shards of glass that cut into her feet, and brushed away the debris left within the frame from its abuse. Truthfully, she didn't care about the frame, but the picture inside it.   
Her and Quatre, shaking hands and smiling politely for the camera. It was a publicity photo, taken when the two companies had merged, after the Eve Wars had ended. They had decided that together, they could expand and grow faster. Help the colonies that had been torn apart in the fight the fight for freedom. That had been his dream, and she found it a profitable business arrangement but...   
She missed them.

'I guess, just because they're alive doesn't change the fact that they're gone.'

Sighing, Dorothy felt her strength leave and she dropped to the ground, glass crunching beneath her weight.

"Quatre...I hope you find Her. Otherwise, your freedom will be as worthless as this game."

^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>   
__At the same time:__

The room was in absolute chaos. At first, it had been on computer to blank out, while a repair crew tried to fix it. It hadn't especially phased anyone in the room, and all resumed work as usual. But quickly after the first computer, another went down, then another, and another, until all the other systems simply turned off. Panic ensued. For fifteen minutes and thirty seven seconds he had been yelling out orders, trying to keep his employees under control.

"Re-route the power to the control program! Keep an eye on those readings at all times! I want to find out who responsible for this!"

In the midst of it all, a woman stood, long auburn hair curled down her back. In the dim light he was suddenly reminded of the color of blood. She stood, calm and poised, amidst the scrambling assistants and experts desperately trying to fix the mistake. To save their necks. From her. She grinned ferally, discreetly slipping a foot out from her long purple dress, the low neckline obscured by the lab coat she wore over it. A hapless computer analyst tripped over her, spilling readings and repair instruments across the floor.

"Fool! Where were you looking?!" the woman screamed in falsified rage.

The girl on the floor reach for the glasses that had been knocked off her face. Blushing, and reaching for papers that were now scattered about her on the ground, she hurriedly picking up her belongings, nervous of the older woman's wrath.

"I-I'm so-so sorry, Beryl-sama. Please, I'll be more careful next time, just...please..." she stammered and back away, leaving the room quickly.

With a slow smirk, Beryl turned to her "superior" and said, "Check. You're move."

His eyes narrowed.

"Pull them out of the system. Now!"

"But, sir! That will-"

"I know what it will do, dammit! They're more useful to us alive than dead, though. Send them to get medical treatment. And make not to the same facilities!" he closed his eyes and rubbed his temple, mulling over the havoc his "assistant" had caused. But now it was his move, and he'd have to resort to drastic measures to get out of check.

"Beryl, proceed to secondary resource plans. Target Tokyo."

Beryl mocked a salute and purred, "Yes, sir. Excellent move. I'll begin damage control as well."

The man sighed. They didn't care about why they were doing what they were doing, or at what the cost. All Beryl and her monsters cared about was the entertainment. They were vicious, and exceedingly powerful. To powerful to resist. They would be able to give him what he wanted. What they had agreed on when the game began.

'Damn them all...but they'll keep their end of it if I win...'

"And I won't fail her."

^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>   
Hm, I like my new separator. ^_^ Don't worry! Part 2b is coming _very _soon. But I was getting restless typing up this chapter, and I wanted to post it now. Plus, I'm totally sore from last night (Senior Prom ^_^;; ooohh..my neck is killing me now) and I have TWO huge projects due in the span of two weeks. I need to work on them. (Crossover fanfics have taken over my life!! I need to get it back for another week, okay?)

**Disclaimer: **Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Nakayoshi, Kodansha, and Toei and all it's holdings. Gundam Wing belongs to Sohei Entertainment (I think…) and Sunrise. 'Intuition' belongs to Natalie Imbruglia. This story is written without intent of copyright infringement. If one of the aforementioned companies/individuals finds this, please don't sue. I will happily direct you to people who abuse you're materials much worse than me. Thank you.

**And always remember:** Reviews are the only payment fanfic writer get.   
  
  
  



	4. Chapter Two-B

I think I might talk too much, but I'd just like the note that _this_ chapter was the original beginning of my story. O_o Personally, it baffles me to think that a) I've managed to create something that's fastly becoming really long (I have a sequel planned >_;) and b) it came from three seconds of a dream. Whoo-hoo! Go Dreams!! And speaking of dreams.... *pushes Chibi Usagi into the spotlight* 

Chibi Usagi: *ahem* On behalf of MAMi-chan, I'd like to clear up Quatre's dream. MAMi-chan claims that "The Dream" is derived from reading too much X/1999 and she thought the sight of me being crucified, and being the mother of the Earth would be cool. What's up with that?! I'm her favorite character, and she wants to see me strung up to die?! You're sick Michelle! Sick sick sick SI- 

Michelle: Usagi....!!! 

Chibi Usagi: Um, yeah. Anyway, the symbolism from "The Dream" comes purely from my roles as a martyr and mother. She claims it's my destiny to be the mother of the universe, or something like that. Plus I seem to die a lot. However, that freaky dream _will_ affect the way Quatre acts around me... 

So does that answer some questions about "The Dream"? Mmmkay... 

**Von of Chaos: **Woah, slow down! Usagi hasn't even _met_ her enemies yet! How are we supposed to know how she'll act? (Well, I know, but still...) She is a bit older than she was in the original so she'll be acting more mature, won't she? 

**Samantha: **No, they didn't _really _die from heart attacks. You'll find out a bit more about what happened now. 

**Usagi Aisa Maxwell: **It's very kind of you to say that! *goes starry eyed* I always wanted to be a writer...but I can't keep deadlines, for the life of me. -_-; Plus, I think I'm developing dyslexia... And yes, I was sore for a week! Then I had to perform in a dance concert, and I was sore for another week! Now I'm all better. (Err...now that I'm getting back to this, scratch that. I'm sore from dancing again ^.^;;) 

**More Author's Notes:**   
-For anyone interested, there is a map of Juuban (as per Sailormoon continuity. I've never been, so I don't know how accurate it is) that can be found [here][1]. And I really think you should visit all of that site, because it's pretty cool.   
-Also, gomen, about the Nurse in the beginning of this chapter. I doubt anyone will get it, but I just love that hairstyle...(the series looks a bit bad though)   
-And as another note, I'm using American school ranking systems, because I'm pretty sure the majority of my readers know what the 'ABC' scale is, but not the percentile scale that's used in Japanese schools.   
-ALSO (lots of notes) the suffix 'sensee' can be attached when referring to a doctor as a well as a teacher. 'Sensee' only means, loosely translated, 'one who was before me' so it refers to anyone in a position of authority or respect.   
-All hail Akazuki Ice Cream! And the Miko Float! And damn my city for not selling it!! (I've only been able to find it in a resturant...*sniff*) Oh, and Crown is actually kind of far away from Mugen...whoops. ^_^;;   
-'Sera Muun' is the romaji of 'Sailormoon'. That's how it's pronounced in Japanese. I think it sounds too cool, so when people SAY the senshi names, I'm writing them in romaji.   
-Hayaku means 'quickly' or in this case, 'hurry up'   
'ni nari' means 'to become' or 'I want to be'   
'kangofu' (pronounced 'kan-go-who') means 'nurse'   
'fuku' means 'uniform' 

_"I'm only happy when it rains_   
_I'm only happy when it's complicated_   
_and though I know you can't appreciate it_   
_I'm only happy when it rains."_   
_-Garbage, Only Happy When it Rains_

**Stumbling Towards Destiny**   
Chapter 2b 

Usagi smiled at Nurse Nanako as she skipped past the receptionist's desk and made her way behind it to the offices. She was in a good mood that morning, because not only had her whole family been very supportive of her decision to move out, but her father had managed to get her a nice suite near the hospital in the Mugen area. AND it was near Mugen Daigaku, so she could easily get from school, to work, to home. 

'Lucky!' 

The Second Juuban Comprehensive Hospital. Usagi still smiled at the official sounding title. She had been working as a nurse for about four years now and she'd learned that the formal title was pretty misleading. Actually, she corrected herself, the first two years at the hospital had been volunteer work. She'd just done it for a career studies class, but Usagi found she enjoyed helping people so much she'd asked to study as an apprentice with another doctor. The Mugen Daigaku had offered a good nursing program, so she had initially begged to be transferred to the Mugen Academy, which would send her directly the College without entrance exams. 

Her parents had been hesitant at first. After all, she was barely maintaining a grade average of C, and Mugen Gakuen was a prestigious school. She may not have been able to make it through. It had only been with the constant memory of the smiles on the children's faces, that she was able to focus on her goal. Now, she giggled a little at herself. Really, she sounded so dramatic. Ah, youth... 

'Only two more years to go, though!' she thought to herself, heading into the office of her boss. 

"Oi, Shiro-sensee, what's up for today?" Usagi asked her 'master teacher' as she peeked into some medical files laying on his desk. 

"Ohayo Usagi-chan. It's a busy day today. First, a young boy in a coma was transferred to our ward last night. I'd like you to take care of him for now, so I can focus on testing to find out what's wrong with him." 

"No problem! I'll be glad to get some experience with it!" Usagi smiled. 

Shiro-sensee nodded, and continued, "Also, I'm expecting an intern from Germany some time today. She's completing a mandatory year abroad in her training. I'd like you to show her around the hospital when you have time." 

"Sure thing Shiro-sensee!" Usagi smiled as she skipped out of the room. A few seconds later, the expectant doctor saw Usagi stick her head back into the office with a sheepish look on her face. 

"Room 519, Usagi-chan." 

"Arigatoo, Shiro-sensee!" 

Usagi thought about her new assignment as she mad her way through the halls of the hospital. She really hadn't ever taken care of a coma patient before. She'd learned about what it involved in class, but from what she remembered it was pretty menial work she'd be doing. (AN: I am not a doctor. I have _no _idea what taking care of a coma victim would be like. Most all medical reasoning in this fic is false. Bear that in mind) Checking charts, changing sheets, making sure he got food. Basically, she would have to be a maid. Other than that, she would just have to as Shiro-sensee. 

'I guess I have to just...talk to him too, and that kind of stuff.' 

Usagi smiled as she opened the door. "Ohayo! O-genki desu ka?" she giggled. "As if you could answer me...But I bet you're feeling pretty lousy, huh?"   
Usagi's chatter trailed off for a second when she got a good look at the boy she would be taking care of. He was skinny, and it looked a bit like he'd been underfed. Yet his muscles were well defined, he was strong and in good shape. He also looked like he was in desperate need of a haircut. Wild, spiky hair fell across his face, and into his closed eyes. And he looked...peaceful, and so... 

"Wow! You're gorgeous!" Usagi exclaimed, then clapped a hand over her mouth quickly. She blushed, and was suddenly very thankful that her patient was in a coma. She took a second to compose herself, then reached for the identification charts sitting on the table beside him. 

"Hiiro, huh? Well, Hiiro, it looks like we'll be spending a lot of time together. Hope you don't mind. Okay, let's see here...oh my! Two weeks in a coma? That's an awful long time, isn't it? Can't you get brain damage, or something like that? Well, don't worry! I promise that I'll do everything I can to pull you out of this!" 

With her little speech finished, Usagi reach over to the bed and took Hiiro's hand in her own. However, she gasped and let go when a shock ran through their hands and up her arm. Usagi quickly pulled her hand up against her chest, cradling it against herself. She frowned, and tried to rub some of the feeling back into her arm. 

'Wh...what was that?' she wondered, and looked down at the boy again. 'It didn't hurt exactly...It was more warm...nice.' 

She shook her head to clear it. She had a lot to do, and sitting there wasn't going to get it done. She began her more menial tasks, careful not to touch Hiiro again. 

^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^> 

"Oi, Shiro-sensee." Usagi flopped down into one of the office chairs, and let out a sigh. 

"Hn?" 

"Where did Hiiro come from? Why did they send him here? Why is he in a coma? Who's paying all the bills for him?" 

Shiro-sensee chuckled. "You ask so many questions, Usagi-chan. You should remember it's better to remain clinical towards patients. But I suppose it can't be helped in your case. He came from the Minato-ku area in Kyoto about two days ago. I don't know much more than that. As for who's paying his bills... Zodiac Designs Unlimited." 

Usagi nearly fell out of her chair. "The video game company!?" 

"Yep. I thought it was a bit odd too. Maybe his parents work there, and it's some kind of new health coverage plan. Strangely, his medical information lists his parents as deceased." 

"Well...mayb it's some other relative..." 

"Don't think about it too hard, Usagi-chan. Anyway, I want you to meet someone. Please wait here a moment while I go and get her." Shiro-sensee got up from behind his desk. 

Usagi sighed again and sank back in the chair. It was all so weird. There was something missing to all this, she was certain of it. Especially when the causes of Hiiro's coma were unlisted. Something was wrong... 

'Oh, stop it! You've been reading too many conspiracy novels!' 

"Usagi?" Shiro-sensee's voice shook her out of her train of thought. He had re-entered the room, with a petite girl in tow. Although she was short, she was still taller than Usagi (which did annoy Usagi a bit) and her hair was so dark that it was tinged blue. Usagi couldn't tell if she'd highlighted that color, but it certainly went well with her ice blue eyes. The girl looked so nervous, too. 

'Maybe she doesn't speak Japanese.' 

Usagi jerked at the thought. She couldn't speak a lick of German. 'Oh, please ohplease let her speak Japanese...' 

"Usagi, this is Mizuno Ami. She'll be on the research staff for Hiiro. Before you leave today, will you please show her around the hospital?" 

Usagi nodded. Ami had a Japanese name, so maybe... 

"Ohayo, Ami-chan! Doozo yoroshiku." 

"Yoroshiku." Ami replied. 

'YAY!!' 

"Well, come on! This is a big hospital, and I wanna go get something to eat!" Usagi grabbed Ami's arm, and started pulling her through the halls, pointing out important people and places as she went. The laughter of the two girls rang through the hospital as the whirlwind tour swept through it. 

^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^> 

Usagi was glad to be out of there. Today had been tiring, and just a little bit stressful. Who knew taking care of a coma patient could be so much work! And then she had to show that intern around. Not that it was particularly annoying. In fact, she kind of liked Ami. She was sweet, even though she was a little bit shy. But still, it was more than she was used to, and now she was exhausted. What she really needed...was some ice cream. 

'Time to go to Crown!' Usagi smiled to herself and practically ran dow the street, causing the other evening pedestrians to turn at stare at her in confusion and annoyance. 

Unazuki smiled when Usagi walked through the automatic doors, and signaled to her brother to fix up the usual. Usagi was probably the only girl in the city who would stop by Crown at 8:30, but the two always stayed open for her. It was tradition. 

"Una-chan!" Usagi called, walking over to the older girl. She gave Unazuki a huge hug, and hopped up onto the table top as the older girl went back to sweeping. 

"Oh, I had such a busy day today!" Usagi started, telling Una about everything she had done. 

'She's always so enthusiastic. She hasn't changed at all from when she would come here and talk about her work as a waitress. Of course, I knew a little about that...' 

"Sounds like a hard day. I betcha a miko float would pick you right up!" Motoki came back, placing the float next to Usagi on the counter. 

"You know it!" Usagi giggled, digging in. "And a SailorV game!" 

The Miko Float was something of a specialty at Crown. It was created with Green Tea and Vanilla ice cream, with strawberry mochi mixed in. It was covered with Akazuki, sweet red bean paste, and whipped cream. All with a cherry on top. It was Usagi's favorite. The two watched her eat for a few moments, still amazed that she could pack away food so quickly, without it ever showing up on her body again. 

'Usagi's got a black hole in her stomach. I'm sure of it.' 

When the float was gone, Usagi hopped off the counter and headed over to the video games with renewed energy. Today, she would beat that high score even if it killed her. Plopping down in the seat, she fished some coins out of her skirt and got ready to fight through yet another level of the game. For the next hour, occasionally the owners of Crown would hear: 

"Ah! Die you stupid monster!" 

"What?! No fair! I had him!" 

"YES!!! Eat THIS!!" 

"Ha ha! Cant hit-HEY!" 

Soon, Usagi was down to the last of her pocket money. With a strange determination, she plunked it into the machine and started up the game. The beginning levels were easy. She'd played them more times than she could count. She began to tune out the music coming from the game, and let her hands move from rote as she zipped through the levels. She didn't even realize how far she had gotten until the game started playing much louder music that snapped her out of her trance. 

"Huh? What's this?" She had gotten another game over but it was at..... 

"Level 37?! Sugoi...I've never gotten that far before!" 

Apparently, neither had anyone else. The score screen came up, asking for her to place her name. In the first place slot. 

"Whoo-hoo!" U-Sa-Gi (AN: Most games allow three characters, and in Japanese, Usagi's name consists of three characters.) The game beeped again, and dispensed a pretty pink pen with a red jewel on the cap. Usagi picked it up, a little confused. 

"Hey, Motoki-kun? SInce when has this game given out prizes?" Usagi turned to join with her friends, who were just about to lock up. Motoki shrugged, and glanced down at the pen. 

"Beats me." 

"This has been such a weird day. I'm drained. Well, see you two tomorrow! Ja!" Usagi waved and began walking back to her new apartment. 

^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^> 

Ami blinked her eyes rapidly. She'd been staring at the computer screen for the last two hours, trying to make sense of the data she'd gathered on that boy. Nothing. It was like his body just...shut down. She couldn't find any medical explanation for it. And without an explanation, she couldn't find a way to bring the boy out of it.   
Ami rubbed her eyes again, not noticing the black shadow that loomed up behind her. (AN: Looom! LOOOOM!! *cough* Eh, sorry. That kind of killed the suspense, didn't it?) Slowly, it lurked closer to her, until it reached out black claws, just barely grazing through her hair. Ami leaned forward to rub her eyes, and the shadow creature pulled away from her, continuing on it's mission. Ami never realized it was there. 

^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^> 

When Usagi got home, Luna was sitting in the entry way, waiting for her. 

"Hello, Usagi." 

Usagi stopped, and glanced around slowly. There was no one she could see. Unconsciously, she bit her lip. What if there was some perverted stalker that had somehow managed to get into her apartment and now he was going to take all of her possessions and- 

"Down here." 

Oh. The cat. The _talking_ cat. 

"Hello Usagi. My name is Luna. Now, I know this is going to seem sudden, but there is a monster, called a 'youma', attacking the hospital right now and I need your help to defeat it." The cat finished its speech and nodded firmly. 

A dream. She must be dreaming. It was the only reason a cat would be talking to her, and telling her a monster was attacking the hospital. That Miko Float must have gone to her head a little sooner than they usually did. But then she felt something cool and metallic being pressed into her hand. A broach. It was tiny, with four colored jewels at each of its sides. It looked an awful lot like costume jewelry that she would have found attractive in her early teens. Or a lot like the compact Sailor V used in those movies... 

"Now, say 'Moon Prism Power' to transform." Luna instructed. 

Numbly, Usagi complied. It was only a dream, after all. What did she have to lose? 

"Moon Prism Power....MAKE-UP!" 

She could feel the energy rushing through her veins. So pure..it wrapped around her in ribbons, it settled over her like a veil or mask. The power comforted her, made her feel stronger, like nothing would ever hurt. It transformed her. Her scrubs melted away and her hair re-pinned itself in her usual style, which she had earlier deemed to distracting for work. For Usagi, the change seemed to last a lifetime, and eternity with eternity. To Luna, there was only a quick flash and Sailormoon stood before her. 

"Sera Muun: Hayaku!" 

Everything still felt a bit hazy for Usagi. The short clothing she was wearing felt oddly comfortable, not at all binding and chafing like it _looked_. And it wasn't wedging into weird places as she ran. Speaking of which, Usagi was pretty sure she was moving much faster than she ever had before in her life. Sooner than she would have expected, she and Luna were standing in from of The Second Juuban Comprehensive Hospital. Funny, it looked a lot more ominous now, for some reason. 

"We have to reach the fourth floor." 

Usagi started and thought, 'Hiiro's on the fourth floor...and Ami-chan...' 

Not knowing exactly what she was doing, Usagi rushed the doors. 

"Sailormoon! It's too obvious if you go in like that! Use the pen!" 

The pen? Did Luna mean that strange pink thing she'd gotten earlier at Crown? Suddenly, the pen was in her hand although she was sure she'd left it in her purse at home. It was as if she'd willed the thing to herself by thinking about it. Just as easily, she knew what she was supposed to say to activate it. 

"Moon power ni nari....kangofu!" 

Now disguised as a nurse, (Usagi paused for a moment to consider the humor in the disguise) she proceeded on her mad dash to the fourth floor. At once she tried the elevator, but nothing happened. Impatiently she pushed the button again, jamming her finger against it repeatedly. Usagi almost screamed in frustration when she realized that the power was cut. From there, she practically flew up the stairs to the fourth floor, kicking the hallway door in. The lack of power made the hall almost pitch black, with only the 'Exit' sign glowing fluorescent green. (they don't use electricity, dontcha know) The entire effect, combined with the silence and stillness of the hall was eerie. Usagi shivered. She only prayed that whatever had cut the lights had left all the life support systems on. What kind of creature would attack a hospital? 

Her eyes glanced to a door at the end of the hall. 519. Light and mist swelled from beneath it, and Usagi could almost hear the ominous music swell. She bit her lip, and looked down at Luna, who nodded to her. Usagi squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, and tried to keep her imagination from running into overdrive. Determined, she opened her eyes once again and walked through the door. 

What she say almost caused her to scream aloud. Littered over the floor of Hiiro's room were the bodies of children close by, lifeless. Hiiro was still undisturbed in the middle of the wreck, and a creature was in the corner of the room, standing over the slumped form of Ami. From what Usagi could make out, the creature was dark, as if it's skin had been burned over and over again. Straggly, thin oily hair fell clumped on its head, and deadly looking talons sprouted from its fingers, jagged and yellow from maltreatment. But the children were what horrified Usagi most. She willed her costume to melt away and leave her senshi fuku in it's place.

"How dare you attack the unprotected innocents! A hospital is a place for healing! I cannot forgive you, and in the place of the moon, I will punish you!" she yelled, causing the monster the look up from Ami. Right into a kick in the face.   
  
Usagi wasted no time, slamming her body against the youma and crashing back into the far wall. Both went down, and Usagi reached to throw the youma away from her. It snarled and bared noxious fangs, which began to lengthen as it got closer to her face.

"Ugh!" she screamed, and clawed at the youma, trying to keep it away. It picked her up by her neck, and tossed her aside, returning to the now conscious Ami.

"Wha...?" Ami's blurry vision began to clear, and the youma lunging straight for her was the first thing she saw. She screamed in panic, and suddenly the room was covered in a thick fog, impairing the vision of all its inhabitants.

'Impossible...could it be that...' Luna thought to herself, as the fog spread. Aloud, she yelled, "Sera Muun! Use your tiara to destroy that thing!"

"I.." Usagi faltered. She had no idea where the creature was. 

_'Behind you. Be careful, it's behind you.'___

"Hai!" she yelled, whirling on her heel. The fog began to dissipate, and the outline of the creature was now easily visible.

"Moon Tiara Action!!" 

Usagi threw the headgear in a graceful arc, which managed to slice the throat of the youma before her. The creature's eyes widened, and as its body dropped out from under it, the entirety of its form shrank and shriveled into dust. As the dust blew away, Luna walked over to wear Ami was sitting. However, instead of her normal scrubs, Ami was wearing an outfit similar to Sailormoon's, but shaded in blue.

"You're...Sera Makkyari?" she questioned.

"I...who..you can...?" Ami was still dizzy, and a little lost by a talking cat.

"I will explain later. Now we must leave before the authorities arrive. I'm sure the lack of power was noticed by someone. Sera Muun...come on."

"But...the children..."

"They'll be fine. They'll wake up in a few minutes."   
  
As if on cue, a few of the children began to rouse from their catatonic state. Reluctantly, Usagi followed Luna and Ami from the now decimated room, and headed home for a second time that night, with a lot more on her mind than she could even think of at the moment.

'And...who...what was that voice? Where did it come from.'

Usagi stared up at the moon, and let out a slow sigh. Somehow, she felt that her life had just turned down a dark road, and she'd be staying its course for a long time to come.   


^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>   
Ah, school's out. ^_^ I'm finally done! But you know what that means? On the 19th....I'll be boarding a plane and heading to Japan for three weeks. So of course, I'm going to absotivley update every story I have here at ff.net, and maybe post a songfic or two. Depends on how much I struggle with 'StoK'. Well, I hope you all have/had an unstressful finals week and are ready for a break! And if you don't get a break...then hang in there!! *does the 'V for Victory' sign* 

**Disclaimer: **Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Nakayoshi, Kodansha, and Toei and all its holdings. Gundam Wing belongs to Sohei Entertainment (I think…) and Sunrise. 'Only Happy When it Rains' belongs to Garbage. This story is written without intent of copyright infringement. If one of the aforementioned companies/individuals finds this, please don't sue. I will happily direct you to people who abuse you're materials much worse than me. Thank you. 

**And always remember:** Reviews are the only payment fanfic writer get.    


   [1]: http://www.peak.sfu.ca/~ea/flots/juuban.jpg



	5. Chapter Three

stumble-3

This is not good. I'm...addicted to my own story. O_o ACK! I can't stop thinking about it! I can't stop writing itty bitty pieces of it in every notebook I have. Stupid story...on the plus side, I was listening to CD's (*gasp* No MP3's?!) and stumbled across 'Dryland', which reminds me terribly of this story, so I'll probably be quoting for a few chapters now. ^_^;; Eheheh...oh, I love my Lilith Fair CD! *hugs her CD's jewel case* 

Okay, okay, okay. I decided on a purpose for the dream. But we don't have to worry about that just yet. Trust me, you can just let it slip from your mind right now. (Though it is rather disturbing...) 

**Galexz: **Oh, I'm so transparent aren't I? Well, yeah, you're right...maybe. It depends on how loose you're definition of 'Hiiro' is.   
****Anime Princess: *smiles* I'm glad you like it. ^_^ And as I said, the dream will fit in later.   
  
  
  


_"Looks like something's coming,_   
_looks like there's gonna be a storm._   
_Looks like everyone's running,_   
_looks like everyone's torn."_   
_-Tara MacLean, Dryland_

Stumbling Towards Destiny   
Chapter Three 

Usagi sat in the chair beside Hiiro's bed, leaning back with her legs crossed. She alternated from looking at the comatose boy, and the small object in her hands. It was a crystal, and anybody just glancing at it might mistake it for a rather large diamond, but beyond that it didn't look out of the ordinary. It certainly didn't look magical. Usagi squinted, and held the crystal up to the light. Rainbows bounced around the exterior, and it sparkled with the refracted light. But still, ordinary crystals did that too. 

"What part of you is magic?" she asked the crystal in frustration. 

The crystal twinkled at her. _You should be able to answer that_, it seemed to say. It _was_ hers now. It had been a week ago, two weeks after the first youma attack. She still remembered the fight that had activated the crystal. Heck, she'd been going over the thing in her mind non-stop, trying to figure out how the damned rock worked. 

^>^>^>^>^>^>^>Flashback^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^> 

Today was a normal day, for most people on the planet. Luckily it was that type of normal for Usagi as well. Usually, for Usagi Tsukino, a normal day had turned into something along the lines of: Wake up. Go to school. Go to work. Fight evil monster. Go to arcade. Do homework. Have conversation with cat. Sleep. Repeat. But today she had no classes, no evil monster, and lunch with Ami. Normal normal day. Well, it had started that way at least. 

Usagi had stepped into Rosette, a little pizza and dessert place tucked between a bookstore and a barber shop, with a little bounce in her step. She'd slept well the night before, and now she got to eat out at her favorite restaurant. She'd considered applying for a job as a waitress their several times in the past few years, but it hadn't seemed necessary. The head chef, and owner of the restaurant, was one of the nicest women she'd ever met though. Just a little forward at times. She broke away from her thoughts when she saw Ami sitting at a table near the windows. 

The cafe was fairly small. Upon entering, there were rows and rows of cakes and pastries under glass, which you could buy and leave without actually ordering anything more. From there you could see the kitchen, which was always busy. There were only three cooks (prep, line and pastry) at any given time, and recently Rosette was becoming a much more crowded. After walking past the display counter, Usagi looped around to the tables, on two stories. The upper floor had a larger table for big groups, and the lower section was just a collection of small tables for two or four. Some of the tables were secluded in the dark, and some were closer to the windows, like Ami's. All the tables had a small floral arrangement on them, made up of yellow or white roses, and babies breath. The spring display. 

"Oi, Ami-chan!" Usagi called, and slipped into the chair across from her friend. "How have you been?" 

Ami looked up from her tea and smiled. "Very good Usagi-chan. I'm learning a lot at the hospital here. And everyone has been so nice. And you?" 

Usagi smiled brilliantly. "Great! Ogata-sensei says that my English is getting much better. And I think I'm really starting to understand it too. And Maria-chan is going home tomorrow!" 

"Really? That's good news." 

"Un!" Usagi laughed, but sobered quickly. "After that youma attack, I was afraid she wasn't going to get better." 

Maria had been in the hospital only with a bad fever, at first. It had lasted a while, and her parents had become worried. It hadn't really been anything too serious, but professional medical attention was needed. But after that youma attack...Maria's condition has worsened, without the energy her body needed to recover her fever returned to the point where she had begun to hallucinate. Usagi remembered one particularly violent episode, where Maria had thought the creature was attacking again. It took three other nurses to hold the child down and keep her from harming herself. Only now was she finally health enough to leave. Usagi thanked god once again that only one attack had actually occurred in the hospital. Although the recent ones had been around Mugen as well. 

"Usagi-chan, speaking of that; have you noticed that the youma generally attack near the location of the Senshi?" Ami asked, lowering her voice. Not many people were in the cafe, but it would be bad to have them overhear their conversation. 

"No...only that they attacked near Mugen." Usagi thought for a moment. "But usually when we were there..." 

"Ready to order?" a perky waitress came by their table, notepad ready. 

"Hai!" Usagi quickly turned to young girl, as if her previous conversation was anything but serious. "One apple pizza, Tiramisu, and a vanilla milkshake please!" 

"I'll have an egg salad sandwich and some more tea, please." 

"Gotcha! I'll be back with the drinks in a moment." 

"Say hi to Mako-chan for me!" Usagi called after the waitress. The girl just laughed an nodded. 

"Mako-chan?" Ami questioned. 

"Yeah! She's the head chef. She's really nice. I come here a lot, so sometimes we talk when it's not all that busy." 

"Ah." Ami sat back, about to resume their previous conversation. She noticed the waitress returning with their drinks, and decided that a little more small talk wouldn't hurt. "And how is Yui-san?" 

Usagi's eyes darkened a bit. "The same as always. He didn't seem affected by the attack at all, which is odd because it occurred in his wing of the hospital, in his room. But then again, he is in a coma. I'm not sure how much worse that condition could get." 

That particular subject depressed Usagi. Usually, even if she couldn't make them better, she could at least cheer her patients up a bit. But she couldn't even do that for Hiiro. And at the same time she had this feeling that he was important. That he was involved in these monsters some how. But he'd been unconscious when they'd begun to appear. Usagi sighed, and rested her head in her hands. She was missing something, she just knew it. 

An icy vanilla shake filled her vision, causing Usagi to look up in surprise. 

"Compliments of the chef. Mako-chan says it'll take about fifteen minutes for your order, and she wants you to remember to stop by and say hello personally when you're done." the waitress winked, and skipped off to another customer. 

"Anyway," Usagi tried to curb off the current subject, aware there were more important matters to be discussed. "Were you saying you think the youma attacks are targeted at...the Senshi?" 

Ami bit her lip, thinking over how to answer the question. "Not exactly. I was doing reading with my computer, and I noticed that it can track energy signals. Particularly youma, but other energy too. Humans give off quite a bit of energy, and so do plants. But the plants have a distinct signal as well. It's really fascinating the way-" 

Ami cut off when she noticed the look Usagi was giving her. "My point is, the youma that have been appearing seem to have a primary goal of gathering energy. The Sailor Senshi, even as civilians, radiate about ten times the levels of a normal human." 

Usagi just stared at Ami for a moment, then sipped her milkshake slowly, closing her eyes. "So...you're saying the senshi are monster magnets." 

"Well, I-" 

Ami was cut off a second time by the sound of breaking glass, and a scream from the girl behind the from counter. Usagi's chair was knocked to the ground as she stood up quickly, racing to see what had happened, and to make sure everybody was all right. The site that greeted her caused her to slow, but it no longer to surprised her. 

'It's amazing how quickly you adjust to things.' Usagi thought sadly. 

A youma was reaching over the counter, gripping the clerk by the neck. Usagi could barely make out a distortion in the air around them. The clerks life being taken by the youma. That creature...it looked female. They all looked female. This one had a green skin tone, leaves strategically placed so that the world would still never know if those things only _looked_ human. It didn't really have hair...many long green vines slithered down it's back, writhing about, helping to hold the clerk in place. Thorns jutted out of it's body at odd angles, and Usagi quickly decided that this battle would be best fought at long range. Ami came up behind her and gasped in shock. The would have to transform quickly. 

"What's going on out there?" someone yelled from the kitchen. It was a girl with deep auburn* hair in a ponytail, and sparkling green eyes. She was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, with an apron dusted with flour covering her front. Makoto-chan. 

"Shoot." Usagi whispered. If the kitchen staff was looking, they couldn't transform. So Usagi did the only thing she could think of: 

"Eeeekk! A monster!" she screamed in her most high pitched voice, and bolted into the bathroom, dragging a very confused Ami by the arm. Once she'd slammed the door behind her, Ami looked at her curiously, and Usagi shrugged. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. Ikuyo." 

Ami nodded, and they both pulled out their transformation pieces. 

"Mercury Star Power....MAKE UP!"   
"Moon Crystal Power...MAKE UP!" 

One quick transformation later, and they were crawling out of the window to meet the monster from the front. 

"Why can't we just go back throughout the bathroom?" Ami asked as she hopped out of the window. 

"Because. If we come out the way we came, it will be suspicious." Usagi replied. "And besides, the youma will have its back to us now." 

Ami nodded, and the two dashed into the store through the shattered glass the window. The monster did indeed have its back to the senshi, and it was surrounded by the fallen bodies of the staff, several of them being held in the hair of the monster. Only Mako-chan remained standing, trying to fend the creature off with a frying pan. Usagi was struck with funny the entire thing would be if it wasn't so dangerous. 

"Moon Tiara Action!" she screamed, aiming carefully. 

The tiara arched, slicing through the long tendrils of hair holding people still, and cutting through and arm as it went flying back to its mistress. The monster shrieked in pain, turning to the new distraction. The vines grew back quickly, and Sailormoon could see the arm beginning to re-grow. She gulped, and looked at Mercury. If it could regenerate, they had a problem. 

"Shabon Spray!" 

Thick fog covered the restaurant, buying them the time they needed to regroup. Through the haze Sailormoon saw Makoto begin to attack the monster again. 'Stupid', she thought. The monster finally grabbed Mako by her apron front, and pulled her closer. Sailormoon could make out Makoto's slumped form through the fog. Panic began to rise in the back of her mind. 

'Isn't there anything we can do?' 

"Moon Tiara Action!" Sailormoon tried again, send the disc hurdling towards the creatures midsection. It screamed in pain as the tiara ripped through it's middle, but the creatures body started to mend together just as soon as the damage was done. The monster glared at the tiara and backhanded it, sending it off course and and away from its owner. 

"Shimatta!" Sailormoon yelled in frustration. 

_'The Sailor Senshi, even as civilians, radiate about ten times the levels of a normal human.'_

_'....the senshi are monster magnets.'_

'Does that mean,' Usagi thought to herself. 'That everyone around me will be hurt?' 

Sailormoon squeezed her eyes shut, to hold back her tears. Now was not the time to cry. Now was _not_ the time to go hysterical. Mercury had run up to join Makoto in battling the monster. She tried to pull it away, apparently not noticing the thorns through the fog. The sound of her screaming in pain did however tear through the fog surrounding them. Sailormoon cringed as if she had received the injury. She shook her head, filled with a new resolve. 

"I won't allow it!" she yelled, and everything stopped. The fog dissipated, and the youma stared at Sailormoon with a look of confusion. 

An unearthly silver glow had surrounded Sailormoon, just a very subtly sheen. Her eyes were wet and her features were set in a strange mixture of hurt, anger and determination. The glow began to build, and pulse with the rhythm of her heart. Mercury gasped as she noticed she was glowing as well, a deep blue, in response to Sailormoon. 

"I won't allow you to continue hurting the ones I love!" she yelled, and the aura surrounding her exploded outward . Makoto felt herself glowing as well. 

'Why...?' she thought dimly. Trying to focus on Sailormoon, instead of blacking out. 

The glow contracted at the brooch on Sailormoon's fuku, still pulsing until it grew too bright to look at. In a last burst of power, a crystal formed at the concentration of silver light, sending shock waves through the restaurant. As Makoto was hit by the shock wave, she felt herself changing as well. 

Mild shocks rippled through her body. The feeling wasn't unpleasant at all, in fact it was like a surge of power. The wounds she'd received felt like barely scratches. Makoto felt like she could take on the world. Or at least the monster towering over her. And she knew exactly how to do it. 

"Supreme...." 

The sky grew dark above the restaurant, and the air became unnaturally charged with static electricity, causing the hair to stand up on the back of her neck. In the distance, thunder boomed ominously. 

"THUNDER!" 

Lightning flew down from the sky, striking Makoto, Sailor Jupiter, and coursing through her body. It was funny, Makoto had always thought being struck by lightning would hurt. Instead, it was more like a strange tingling up and down her body. She knew she could control it, direct it. And she directed it straight to the creature that had destroyed her restaurant.

It didn't stand a chance. Bubbles and cuts it could handle, but having ten thousand volts of electricity slam into it was more than any youma could take. With an unnatural scream, the monster seized up and fell to the ground in a charred green heap, no longer moving. Sailormoon followed suit, her energy drained. The strange crystal dropping by her side.

^>^>^>^>^>^>^>End Flashback^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>

So now there she was, glaring at the strange, stupid crystal that wouldn't work how she wanted it too. With a sigh of frustration, she closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. Try as she might, she couldn't duplicate the events at Rosette. The only thing she could come up with was the urgency she'd felt for her friends' lives.

'But Hiiro is important too! Onegai, Ginzuisho...I want to protect him.' she prayed and felt the warmth of the crystal against her skin. DIsregarding it, she concentrated her efforts on envisioning Hiiro awake, and healthy. She took his hand, and almost pulled back at the effect of the contact.

Pain. Emotional. Physical. Image of blood and fire, massive machines destroying cities, complexes, people. All through her, chaos seemed overwhelming. The large war of fire and running and screams filled her mind. Then just as suddenly it all stopped.

She saw a girl, fuzzy. She smiled and held a small yellow flower in her outstretched hand. The quiet peace of the situation touched Usagi. 

But the reprieve was short-lived, as the destruction and carnage slammed against her psyche again at full force, images and sounds spinning wildly out of control, and she could feel her mind pulling away from it all. And at the center of it all, was one boy. Hiiro Yui. Standing there as calm as if the storm of blood raging around him was nothing, he had his arms crossed and his eyes closed. And as Usagi felt herself withdrawing into her mind, she could feel Hiiro waking up.

It was the last thing she felt before the peaceful blackness of her own mind claimed her, and she slumped over the hospital bed and fell unconscious.

^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>   
*In the manga, Makoto's hair is more of a red color, and I like that better. SO I say her hair is red/Auburn, not brown.

Also, 'Maria' is a Japanese name, kind of. It's highly unusual, but it's possible.   
  
  



End file.
